One Essential Marketing Tactic to Dramatically Increase Your Social Media Following

Whether it’s selling a product, offering an explanation of your services, sharing company history, or something else entirely, when you post on your social media platforms, your end goal is to make meaningful connections with your audience in some way, shape, or form. (Well, maybe your end goal is really to sell your products or services, but connection with your audience is what’ll get you there.)

And did you know you’re missing out on creating countless new connections if you don’t include this type of video in your marketing plan?

That’s right! Live streaming is taking marketing to the next level by allowing businesses to interact with their audiences in a more personable way — and it also means you can continue to grow your reach in a world that has seemingly slowed to a standstill.

Just because we can’t meet in person doesn’t mean you have to cancel that company event you worked so hard to plan. You can turn the whole thing into a virtual conference by hosting a livestream instead — and our team at OpticTour is here to tell you how to best tailor this tool to your business so you can use video to shine light on a whole new world.

Live Streaming: What is It?

Live streaming lets you watch, share, and create videos in real time — just like on television, but on the internet instead!

Live streaming mainly occurs on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, and Twitch. It’s free to use, and viewers are able to interact in real time by posting comments that appear next to the livestream. On Facebook Live, for example, viewers are able to express feelings via “reactions” (re: emoticons) they share during your live broadcast. You’ll receive instant feedback about how people are responding to your content, and you can even directly address individuals through questions or comments of your own.

And viewers love this! In fact, Facebook Live videos were watched three times longer than videos that were pre-recorded. In addition, those watching live content showed an emotional engagement rate of 25% — and when compared to videos that had already been posted, this rate was 17%.

Why? Because live content feels real, intimate, and suspenseful.

Even the most mundane topics become more intriguing when they’re happening right in front of your eyes. In fact, someone in the UK shared a live video of locals trying to navigate a particularly large puddle, and their audience later grew to the millions!

So yes, you really can livestream anything.

Types of Livestreams

Behind the Scenes Footage

Everybody loves an inside look. In fact, 87% of viewers said they’d prefer to watch things online rather than on TV if they were able to get a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Viewers love learning about what life for you and your company is really like. By showing your unscripted, natural side, you provide that to them by becoming more relatable, open, and “real.” 

Eighty percent of consumers are more likely to follow brands that share that authenticity with the  world, after all, so showing some behind-the-scenes content will allow you to not only create meaningful engagements with your current audiences but also create new ones!

Interviews and Q&A Sessions

Including interviews and Q&A sessions in your livestream plan is a great way to position your business as an innovator and a thought-leader by sharing relevant information your viewers deem worthy. If you’re not as keen on a topic as you’d like to be, try asking local experts to join in and share their thoughts and ideas instead. Doing so will also allow their audiences to take a dip in your stream, too!

Product, Brand, and Life Updates

Sharing updates about your company, life, and goals are a great way to create a brand that’s authentic and engaging. Doing so also allows you to provide your viewers with timely information about opportunities within your business they can capitalize on — like that awesome new product you just listed on your website!

How-tos, Product Demonstrations, and Tutorials

When’s the last time you Googled how to do something, found a video explaining it, and learned a new skill in less than five minutes?

How-to videos earn the most attention of any content category on YouTube. They work so well because they’re directly related to audience intent, and you can cater that to your company by including explanations of common trends, topics, or products.

For example, a product demonstration! Try making a livestream video that shows your viewers how to use one of your products, perform a task, or create something. This content should still remain relevant to your business, but don’t hesitate to think outside the box and have a little fun with it!

Webinars

In short, a webinar is an online meeting or presentation shown in real time that attracts viewers because it dives into a specific topic they’re interested in. The best ones are chock full of interactivity, so be sure to include some time for answering audience questions if you decide to go this route.

Repurposed Content

Even during a livestream, you don’t necessarily have to create organic content 100% of the time.

If you’re not sure where to start or you find yourself without ideas, try repurposing some of your most popular content and sharing it in a live stream. You can take topics from old videos and quiz the audience on their knowledge or provide a recap about past developments in your company, your history, and more.

Now that you’re well versed in all the different types of livestreams, let’s take a look at how to make the most of your new toolset.

How to Make the Most of Your Livestream

Live streaming allows your viewers to connect with your company in meaningful ways — but in order to capitalize on this, you’ll need to send that connection back the other way.

Consider leaving room in your broadcast to answer your viewers’ questions and comments as they roll in. Calling out individuals by name in your responses allows them to feel heard and special, so do your best to include them when interacting.

In addition, it’s important to market your livestream beforehand so viewers know it’s coming. You should also record it and share it once it’s over so anyone who wasn’t able to tune in won’t miss out.

You should definitely spend some time getting comfortable with your content before you go on camera, but don’t worry about being too perfect. Remember: Audiences love authenticity and seeing the real you!

Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog! We hope it helped you see the power of live streaming, and if you think you could still use a little guidance in effectively marketing your business, our team at OpticTour here would love to lend a hand!

You can schedule your free audit with us by heading to this link. We’re ready whenever you are!